12694: Profiling At PNC.

PNC Bank bans hoodies? Not sure why the sign didn’t simply read: No bank robbers allowed.

12693: Peeing On Poise.

Poise is patently pathetic. Possibly inspired by “Pee Happens” from Always Discreet, Poise invites women to recycle their period pads:

Why use period pads for pee when you could use Poise thin-shape pads with SAM (super absorbent material) and stay three times drier? We’re turning those extra period pads into something awesome with #RecycleYourPeriodPad. How would you recycle your period pad? Share your ideas using #RecycleYourPeriodPad or check out Poise.com for a free sample of Poise.

Somebody should have pissed all over this idea in the concept stage.

12692: BBDO Poops On Diversity.

Adweek presented a new spot from BBDO New York for Pedigree that seeks to address racial issues while selling dog food. Hey, the White advertising agency should have integrated the infamous real-life story of an L.A. firefighter who filed a lawsuit after his colleagues served him spaghetti laced with dog food. But seriously, it’s outrageous that BBDO New York creates comic books and commercials to promote racial harmony while showing complete cultural cluelessness about fostering diversity in their own hallways. The place is full of dog shit.

12691: Less Loot For Lévy.

Adweek reported Publicis Groupe CEO Maurice Lévy earned only $3.1 million last year as a result of failing to meet performance criteria. Of course, Lévy’s salary is still roughly $3 million more than the average senior-level executive in Publicis Groupe. The people deciding Lévy’s loot should have viewed the old man as a drunken john, given all of his reckless spending on every digital prostitute that crossed his path. Hell, if MDC Partners CEO Miles Nadal is facing investigation for his money handling, Lévy ought to be placed under an auditor’s microscope too.

Publicis Chief Maurice Lévy Earned a Mere $3 Million Last Year

Failed to meet some performance targets

By Noreen O’Leary

Publicis Groupe chief Maurice Lévy earned a modest $3.1 million in compensation last year, a pittance compared with his peers.

Omnicom CEO John Wren, for instance, took home $24 million, while WPP’s chief Martin Sorrell stands to collect shares worth $53 million as part of his 2014 compensation. Miles Nadal, the top exec at MDC Partners, received nearly $17 million, and Interpublic’s CEO Michael Roth pocketed $13 million.

Since 2012, Lévy has not collected a base salary, with all of his compensation tied to performance criteria. (That compensation is capped at €5 million, which is currently worth $4.6 million.) At Publicis Groupe’s annual meeting yesterday in Paris, Lévy’s performance evaluation was shared for a year when the company’s audacious plans to merge with rival Omnicom fell apart.

Lévy did not meet expectations on three of his four quantitative criteria: total shareholder return, increased earnings per share, and organic growth. However, he achieved results in increasing net income and was paid $1.6 million for doing so. (Net income fell 9 percent, but headline net income, which strips out various losses and costs like those related to the Publicis-Omnicom merger and Publicis’ $3.7 billion acquisition of Sapient, rose 4.7 percent in 2014.)

The Publicis chief fared better with qualitative criteria. In updating the company’s 2013 strategy with detailed plans to achieve objectives, Publicis said Lévy “partly achieved” his goals. That was also the case with his efforts to define the Groupe’s future organizational structure and “implement a transitional phase,” which presumably refers to Lévy’s planned retirement in 2017. He was fully successful in raising the proportion of digital income to 50 percent of the Groupe’s total revenue and was paid $1.4 million.

In a newly released yearbook of 2014 highlights, Lévy acknowledged the uneven performance and hinted that the negotiations and ultimate failure of the Omnicom merger might have been a distraction:

“It is true that [2014] was a year of mixed results for Publicis Groupe, with 2 percent growth over the year, which falls short of both our abilities and expectations. The reasons are numerous and are due in part to the fact that our core management teams were too focused on other projects, which did not materialize.”

12690: Colonel Wood.

Advertising Age published a perspective by Douglas J. Wood, a partner with Reed Smith and General Counsel to the Association of National Advertisers. Don’t know or care what Wood wrote about. But he should have been chosen ahead of Darrell Hammond to portray Colonel Sanders in the new KFC campaign.

12689: New White Place For Ace.

Advertising Age reported Ace Hardware handed its account to O’Keefe Reinhard & Paul after a shootout between White advertising agencies. The IPG-backed OKRP previously picked up a Pizza Hut assignment sans review. Incumbent White advertising agency GSD&M—which just lost Petsmart—did not participate in the competition, probably in order to focus even more time to Annie the Chicken Queen for Popeyes.

O’Keefe Reinhard & Paul Nabs Ace Hardware After Review

Account Had Been at GSD&M, Which Did Not Participate in Review

By Maureen Morrison

Ace Hardware has named O’Keefe, Reinhard & Paul its new agency after a review.

Omnicom’s GSD&M had been the lead agency on the account since 2009, though the agency did not participate in the review. According to people familiar with the matter, finalists in the review were Interpublic’s FCB, Escape Pod, OKRP and Schafer Condon Carter, all in Chicago, not far from the company’s Oak Brook, Ill. headquarters. There was no search consultant involved in the review.

Jeff Gooding, senior director of consumer marketing and advertising at Ace said that the marketer chose OKRP, in part, because of its small business mindset (the shop is a two-year-old startup), which he said matches that of its store owners, who have some 4,400 U.S. locations. “Their insights and creative were strong and straightforward, and we’re a straightforward company,” he said. He also noted that the agency took the time to understand the company’s culture, which is based on being a source of advice for consumers who like do-it-yourself home improvement projects.

Mr. Gooding said it’s not yet clear when new work from OKRP will launch. The company’s media agency is Publicis Groupe’s Spark, which won the account in 2013.

OKRP is a relatively young agency, launched in March 2013 by former FCB executives. Since its launch, the shop has worked on Pizza Hut’s Wing Street, as well as other Yum brands projects and Turtle Wax. The agency is perhaps best known for its holiday work for Big Lots last year.

Ace has recently put an emphasis on the paint category. Last year, Interpublic’s FCB worked on the rollout of Ace’s new paint department, an effort between Ace and Valspar, with a campaign called “Helpful is beautiful.” Valspar is an FCB client.

Ace in 2014 upped its U.S. measured media spending to $63 million, up from $52 million the prior year, according to Kantar Media. In 2012 Ace spent $47 million.

12688: Petsmart Sets Dog Free.

Advertising Age reported Petsmart got smart, splitting with White advertising agency GSD&M after less than seven months in favor of transferring the marketing duties to in-house resources. The move sorta indicates the client decided GSD&M was not better than nothing. At least now the Austin-based agency has more time to focus on their pet project: Annie the Chicken Queen for Popeyes.

GSD&M, Petsmart Part Ways After Less Than Seven Months

Retailer Brings Marketing Back In-House Following Acquisition by Private Equity Group

By Maureen Morrison

Just seven months after tapping Omnicom’s GSD&M as its agency, Petsmart is bringing the bulk of its advertising in-house.

The move comes after Petsmart was bought by a consortium led by BC Partners in December. That deal became final in mid-March. Two weeks later, Phil Bowman, exec VP-customer experience, a role that oversees marketing, left the company. He has since been replaced by Eran Cohen, whose hire was announced as part of a new leadership team in the wake of the private-equity acquisition.

Bringing its creative in-house isn’t new for the retailer. Prior to hiring GSD&M, the company had fielded much of its marketing in-house in recent years.

“While we appreciate the efforts of GSD&M, we’ve decided not to continue our partnership with them,” said Michelle Friedman, a spokeswoman at Petsmart. “We will resume management of all creative work with our in-house team.”

Said GSD&M in a statement: “We want to thank our client partners for the opportunity to create bold work in a true collaboration. We are proud of the work we created together and wish everyone at Petsmart the best during their transition.”

The agency in February launched a campaign called “Petsmart partners in pethood,” which included spots directed by Christopher Guest.

Petsmart spent about $113 million in U.S. measured media in 2014, according to Kantar Media, up from nearly $105 million in 2013.

The loss of Petsmart comes after the agency recently parted ways with Marshalls. Ace Hardware, which the agency has also handled, also went into review. In the past year, GSD&M has picked up the Hampton hotel business (August), the Northwestern Mutual account (July) and media planning and buying, along with select creative projects for Chipotle (last May.)

Contributing: Ashley Rodriguez

12687: Black Hawks Down.

The Atlanta Hawks were swept in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are now heading to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2007. But don’t be too quick to credit the extraordinary talent of LeBron James for the decisive victory. Rather, put the blame squarely on the Offensive Karma ignited by Hawks owner Bruce Levenson and Hawks general manager Danny Ferry. Thanks to Messrs. Levenson and Ferry, the Hawks couldn’t have beaten LeBron James—or even Kevin James.

12686: Drilling For A Concept.

If you drilled into the heads of the creative team responsible for these ads, you’d discover empty skulls.

From Ads of the World.

12685: U.S. Navy’s New Stooge.

Adweek reported the U.S. Navy sailed away from its White advertising agency of 15 years and docked into a new White advertising agency. Replacing Lowe Campbell Ewald with Young & Rubicam is like swapping Curly for Shemp—although a lot less entertaining.

U.S. Navy Picks a New Agency After 15 Years With One Shop

Young & Rubicam takes over for Lowe Campbell Ewald

By Noreen O’Leary

Young & Rubicam is the U.S. Navy’s new agency, following a mandated review in which Lowe Campbell Ewald defended one of its largest accounts of 15 years, sources said.

Last year the Interpublic agency, now reconfigured as part of the Mullen Lowe Group, received a contract extension until a review could determine the winner of a five-year contract beginning this year. The agency last defended the business in 2009.

Last year the Navy spent $39.6 million on measured media, according to Kantar Media.

A Y&R representative declined to comment.

The new contract runs for a full year, followed by four one-year options that extend through 2020. Y&R will handle traditional, digital and mobile advertising as well as account and media planning, research, public relations and events.

In 2009, Lowe Campbell Ewald produced the tagline “America’s Navy. A global force for good.” to attract young recruits, but last year the Navy began phasing out the line after negative feedback from active-duty sailors, veterans and the American public. Earlier this year, the agency produced a new spot, “Pin Map,” which positioned the Navy as “Around the world, around the clock.”

Losing the Navy business is the latest blow for the agency, which lost its biggest client Cadillac last year, an account it worked on as part of a consortium of agencies called Rogue.

12684: Orbit Gum Blows.

Orbit presents a global, multicultural campaign in the laziest way possible, integrating Ashton Kutcher, Cristián de la Fuente and Damon Wayans Jr. delivering identical performances in the same set. Why is Kutcher chewing with a woman who isn’t Mila Kunis? And why is Wayans Jr. depicting an interracial romance?

12683: Adios To Artificiality…?

The Associated Press reported Taco Bell is following up its salt reduction efforts with an attempt to get rid of artificial flavors and colors in its menu items. Of course, the move will not affect soft drinks or co-branded products like the infamous Doritos Locos Tacos. Univision’s new campaign tagline—Todo Es Posible—would be disproved by the goal of removing the artificiality from Taco Bell.

Taco Bell to get rid of artificial flavors, colors

By Associated Press

Call it the Chipotle effect.

Taco Bell and Pizza Hut say they’re getting rid of artificial colors and flavors, making them the latest big food companies scrambling to distance themselves from ingredients people might find unappetizing.

Instead of “black pepper flavor,” for instance, Taco Bell will start using actual black pepper in its seasoned beef, says Liz Matthews, the chain’s chief food innovation officer.

The Mexican-style chain also says the artificial dye Yellow No. 6 will be removed from its nacho cheese, Blue No. 1 will be removed from its avocado ranch dressing and carmine, a bright pigment, will be removed from its red tortilla strips.

Matthews said some of the new recipes are being tested in select markets and should be in stores nationally by the end of the year.

The country’s biggest food makers are facing pressure from smaller rivals that position themselves as more wholesome alternatives. Chipotle, in particular, has found success in marketing itself as an antidote to traditional fast food, although some question the meaningfulness of some of its claims. In April, Chipotle announced it had removed genetically modified organisms from its food, even though the Food and Drug Administration says GMOs are safe.

Critics say the purging of chemicals is a response to unfounded fears over ingredients, but companies are nevertheless rushing to ensure their recipes don’t become marketing disadvantages. In recent months, restaurant chains including Panera, McDonald’s and Subway have said they’re switching to ingredients people can easily recognize.

John Coupland, a professor of food science at Penn State University, said companies are realizing some ingredients may not be worth the potential harm they might cause to their images, given changing attitudes about additives.

Additionally, he noted that the removal of artificial ingredients can be a way for companies to give their food a healthy glow without making meaningful changes to their nutritional profiles. For instance, Coupland said reducing salt, sugar or portion sizes would have a far bigger impact on public health.

Taco Bell and Pizza Hut are owned by Yum Brands Inc., which had hinted the changes would be on the way. At a conference for investors late last year, Yum CEO Greg Creed referred to the shifting attitudes and the desire for “real food” as a revolution in the industry.

Representatives at KFC and Yum’s corporate headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky were not immediately available to comment on whether the fried chicken chain would also be removing artificial ingredients.

Pizza Hut says it will remove artificial colors and preservatives by the end of July.

Taco Bell says it will take out artificial colors, artificial flavors, high-fructose corn syrup and unsustainable palm oil from its food by the end of 2015. It says artificial preservatives will be removed “where possible” by 2017. The moves do not affect fountain drinks or co-branded products, such as its Doritos-flavored taco shells.

Brian Niccol, the chain’s CEO, said price increases are based on a variety of factors, and that the company would work to keep its menu affordable.

“I do not want to lose any element of being accessible to the masses,” Niccol said.

When asked whether the changes would affect taste, a representative for Taco Bell said in an email that “It will be the same great tasting Taco Bell that people love.”

12682: Omnicom’s EEO-1 BS.

A MultiCultClassics visitor pointed to the Omnicom Group 2015 Annual Meeting of Shareholders held on May 18 in Lakewood, Colorado. The associated report featured a particularly pathetic passage on page 45:

Item 4 — Shareholder Proposal Regarding Annual Disclosure of EEO-1 Data

Representatives of the New York City Comptroller (the “Comptroller”), on behalf of the New York City Pension Funds, 1 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007, have advised that the New York City Pension Funds are the beneficial owner of 475,187 shares of Omnicom common stock and that the Comptroller intends to introduce a proposal for the consideration of shareholders at the 2015 Annual Meeting, the text of which reads as follows.

RESOLVED: Shareholders request that the Board of Directors adopt and enforce a policy requiring Omnicom Group Inc. (“Omnicom,” or the “Company”) to disclose its EEO-1 data – a comprehensive breakdown of its workforce by race and gender according to 10 employment categories – on its website, beginning in 2015.

Supporting Statement

Despite federal and state laws forbidding employment discrimination on the basis of race, allegations of racial discrimination persists in some industries; and in recent years, a number of companies have agreed to pay millions of dollars to settle allegations of racial discrimination.

The advertising industry, of which the Company is a part, is characterized by the persistent and pervasive underrepresentation of minorities, particularly in senior positions. A recent study entitled, “Research Perspectives on Race and Employment in the Advertising Industry” (Bendick and Egan Economic Consultants, Inc. 2009), found that:

• Racial disparity is 38% worse in the advertising industry than in the overall U.S. labor market;

• The “discrimination divide” between advertising and other U.S. industries is more than twice as wide as it was 30 years ago;

• Black college graduates working in advertising earn 80 cents for every dollar earned by their equally-qualified White counterparts;

• About 16% of large advertising firms employ no Black managers or professionals, a rate 60% higher than in the overall labor market; and

• Black managers and professionals in the industry are only one-tenth as likely as their White counterparts to earn $100,000 a year.

Numerous studies have found that workplace diversity provides a competitive advantage by generating diverse, valuable perspectives, creativity and innovation, increased productivity and morale, while eliminating the limitations of “groupthink.”

In opposing this proposal when previously presented, Omnicom agreed “that workplace diversity creates value for the Company and fosters a positive corporate culture,” according to its 2012 and 2013 Proxy Statements. The Company emphasizes its commitment to recruiting, retaining and promoting minorities and women, and its website points to a set of specific initiatives. But without quantitative disclosure, shareholders have no way to evaluate and benchmark the effectiveness of these efforts.

Federal law requires companies with 100 or more employees to annually submit an EEO-1 Report to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The report profiles a company’s workforce by race and gender according to 10 job categories, including senior management.

Disclosure of the Company’s EEO-1 data would allow shareholders to evaluate the effectiveness of its efforts to increase the diversity of its workforce throughout its ranks, and at minimal cost. In addition, we believe full disclosure of the Company’s EEO-1 data would drive management and the Board to pursue continuous improvements in the Company’s diversity programs, fully integrate diversity into its culture and practices, and strengthen its reputation and accountability to shareholders.

We urge shareholders to vote FOR the proposal, which received support averaging 30% of votes cast in 2012 and 2013.

This is neither new nor news. New York City Comptroller John Liu and Sanford Moore continue to demand that Omnicom literally and figuratively reveal its true colors. And Omnicom continues to deflect accountability via spokespuppets of color.

The response to the proposal demonstrated classic dodging, deferring, denying and delegating diversity. The Board of Directors unanimously recommended voting against the proposal, pointing to all the clichéd, contrived and conniving crap as proof of progress.

For example, Omnicom employs Directors of Diversity and Chief Diversity Officers in every network—along with a Senior Vice President Chief Diversity Officer in the Caucasian corporate office. Alas, there’s no meaningful and measurable evidence of success being generated by the patronizing appointments. It’s hard out here for a pimp.

Other types of propagandistic smokescreens include colorblind committees, minority scholarships, inclusive internships and tax-deductible donations to ADCOLOR®—which happens to be the pet project of Omnicom’s SVP CDO. Why, the holding company even has a special “strategic insights organization” focused on equality for White women.

Most outrageous is the board’s recognition of Omnicom President-CEO John Wren being crowned a Pioneer of Diversity. Pioneer of Diversion would be a more accurate title.

The report went on to state, “The proposal requests release of information that would not be informative and could harm the Company.” Why would an enterprise employing Directors of Diversity and Chief Diversity Officers, utilizing diversity committees, offering diversity scholarships and internships, paying diversity donations to ADCOLOR®, spiking diversity numbers with White women and running under the guidance of a Pioneer of Diversity be so afraid of displaying its actual diversity?

The agencies within the Omnicom network are always quick to hype positive ROI. What’s the return on investment for the numerous diversity initiatives bankrolled by Omnicom?

12681: Adland Good For White People.

Campaign published perspectives from Adam & Eve/DDB CEO James Murphy (the latest White person to become UK Advertising Association Chairman) and Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO Group Chairman and Group CEO Cilla Snowball (the White person/predecessor who served as UK Advertising Association Chairman). Murphy is determined to prove that adland is good for the economy, society and people. Murphy stressed, “…the AA is pushing us all to ask the difficult questions.” Plus, he gushed about AA predictions that over 70,000 new advertising jobs will be created in the next four years. Of course, Murphy is not about to ask the difficult question, “How many of the 70,000 new jobs will go to minorities?” In fact, diversity doesn’t even appear in his roughly 750-word rave. Meanwhile, Snowball mentioned diversity; yet based on her committed efforts to date, she’s really talking about increased opportunities for White women. Yes, adland is good for the economy. Proving that adland is good for society and people, however, will require concocting a campaign based on lies and deceptions—a perfect project for White advertising executives to handle.

12680: Sprint CMO WTF.

Advertising Age reported Sprint is continuing to create a real-life Frobinson Framily/Shirato Family with its marketing team, recruiting Kevin Crull as its new Chief Marketing Officer. Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son (who is Japanese), Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure (who is Bolivian), Crull (who is Canadian) and the Midwestern Americans at Sprint’s Kansas-based headquarters make for a pretty diverse enterprise. Yet the client chose to partner with a corrupt and culturally clueless White advertising agency in Deutsch LA. Go figure.

Sprint Names Canadian Broadcast Exec Kevin Crull CMO

Exec Left Bell Media in April After Admitting to Trying to Influence Coverage of Subsidiary

By Maureen Morrison

Sprint has named Kevin Crull its new chief marketing officer.

Mr. Crull, a Canadian media and broadcast executive, will be responsible for all products and services, advertising, customer acquisition and retention, and all digital and social efforts, according to a statement. He’ll report to President-CEO Marcelo Claure and will relocate to Kansas City, Mo., where Sprint’s headquarters are.

Mr. Crull’s most recent position as president-CEO of Bell Media, Canada’s largest media and broadcasting company, ended in April 2015, when he stepped down after admitting he tried to influence coverage by one of Bell’s subsidiaries, CTV.

According to a press release, while at Bell, Mr. Crull led the acquisition of CTV Globemedia in late 2010, creating the foundation for Bell Media, Inc. Following that, he led the acquisition and integration of Astral Media in 2012 and 2013. He was president of the Bell Residential Services, a telecommunications company, providing broadband, home phone, and satellite and fiber television service in Canada. Before that, he was at AT&T, working on the consumer and small-business sales and marketing. He was also senior VP-general manager of AT&T’s wireless initiative.

Sprint’s former CMO, Jeff Hallock, late last year confirmed he was departing the company by the end of the first quarter. That announcement came amid a major agency review and corporate overhaul by Mr. Claure, who joined the ailing carrier last August.

Sprint did not confirm until December that it had hired Interpublic’s Deutsch as its new agency, although incumbent Figliulo & Partners was said to remain on the roster. By the time the company had confirmed Deutsch’s win, the shop had already produced TV spots that were airing.

“Kevin did an amazing job at Bell Media, and I expect him to do even better at Sprint,” said Mr. Claure in a statement. “Sprint is privileged to attract someone of his caliber and experience in media, content and wireless. As the industry shifts towards providing unique experiences and content to wireless customers, Kevin’s exceptional experience will allow him to be a great contributor in Sprint’s transformation journey.”

“I’m thrilled to join Sprint, a company that I believe has limitless potential for growth and transformation at a very exciting time in the industry,” Mr. Crull said in the statement. “I believe the Sprint team is showing great momentum and has a plan to win in the marketplace. The wireless industry offers tremendous opportunity for profitable growth. My past experience has been all about execution and transformation and delivering results, and this is what I intend to do as part of the Sprint team.”

One of Mr. Claure’s first acts was to pull the “Framily Plan” pitch, which Figliulo & Partners had marketed with its “Frobinsons” campaign starring a cast of oddball characters.

As of late December, Sprint commanded 15% of the U.S. market, trailing Verizon (33%) and AT&T (28%), according to comScore. Yet amid a network overhaul, Sprint is bleeding customers—it lost 714,000 postpaid subscribers over the past year. It’s also confronting a credible challenge from T-Mobile, which added 2.3 million customers during the third quarter.

12679: Black Pencils, White Winners.

Campaign reported the annual D&AD awards ceremony saluted the winners of five black Pencils. It’s fairly safe to guess the honorees were not Black.

12678: Crying Shame.

Not sure this campaign from Kenya is really respecting its audience. In fact, it’s disrespecting Black women.

From Ads of the World.

12677: White Is The New Black.

Campaign published another fluff piece featuring White women advocating for gender equality in the advertising industry. Of course, the ever-opportunistic Kat Gordon weighed in, relating the “lightning-bolt moment” when she realized she was the only woman on a team of 17 agency executives leading a new business pitch. Um, how many minorities were present in the group—or employed at the agency? Far less than 3% would be a safe bet.

12676: Hiring Mad Men & Women.

Adweek asked a predominately White group of advertising industry VIPs, “If You Could Pick Only One, Would You Hire Don, Peggy or Joan?” Imagine if the same people were asked, “If You Could Pick Only One, Would You Hire Dawn, Shirley or Hollis?” They would undoubtedly choose Don, Peggy or Joan. Or Roger. Or Pete. Or Ken. Or Harry. Or Megan. Or Betty. Or Sally as an intern. Then they’d give Glen a shot. And eventually they’d even offer positions to the deceased Bert and Lane before considering minorities.

12675: The Creation Of Cultura.

Advertising Age reported MDC and Doner have hatched Cultura, a “cross-disciplinary marketing firm uniting specialized full-service advertising and public relations expertise with deep insights across Hispanic, African American and Asian audiences.” MDC President and CEO Miles Nadal took some time off from his SEC investigation to declare, “No matter what your business, success depends on developing smart, authentic and culturally attuned relationships with the multicultural consumer.” Cultura will achieve the goal with a whopping staff of 10 people. That’s the stereotypical dedication to the multicultural market and diversity one can always expect from White enterprises like MDC and Doner.

MDC, Doner Launch Multicultural Shop Cultura United Agency

Holding Company Hasn’t Been a Player in U.S. Hispanic Market

By Maureen Morrison

Two weeks after Omnicom’s GSD&M and LatinWorks partnered to launch Hispanic agency Sibling, MDC Partners is making its own move, setting up Cultura United Agency with Doner, another MDC shop.

MDC is positioning Cultura as a “cross-disciplinary marketing firm uniting specialized full-service advertising and public relations expertise with deep insights across Hispanic, African American and Asian audiences,” according to a statement.

JC Penney is a Doner client in the general market, which will lead to some related Spanish-language work for the new unit. Independent shop Grupo Gallegos remains JC Penney’s Hispanic agency of record. Cultura, which will have 10 people and be based in Los Angeles, will also work with cosmetics company Jafra, a recent Doner win.

MDC hasn’t been a player in the U.S. Hispanic market. No MDC-owned agencies reported Hispanic revenue in Ad Age’s 2015 Agency Report. MDC’s KBS had a Hispanic unit called Ramona for a while, but it closed in 2012 after losing its only significant client, Tecate. MDC’s CP&B briefly convinced then-client Burger King to let it handle the fast feeder’s Hispanic business, and then lost the whole account.

But general market agencies remain eager to try to capture their existing clients’ Hispanic spending, too. To lead Cultura United Agency, the company is hiring Anita Albán Gastelum, a former VP of Axis Agency, a 50-person Interpublic-owned company that describes itself as a “culture movement marketing agency.”

“No matter what your business, success depends on developing smart, authentic and culturally attuned relationships with the multicultural consumer,” said Miles Nadal, president and CEO of MDC Partners, in a statement. “Marketers can no longer deny that today’s consumer audience is a multicultural one, and Cultura United Agency’s understanding of the trends driving purchasing decisions allows brands to extend the reach of their communications, generate new revenue streams, and deliver greater return on marketing investment.”

“Cultura United Agency is designed to help brands create relevance and achieve authenticity in the real world with an inclusive and interconnected approach that closely aligns brands with culture,” said Ms. Gastelum in a statement.

12674: Hawks Should Concede Now.

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, leaving one to wonder if the Hawks should simply concede the series now. After all, the Offensive Karma sparked by Atlanta Hawks owner Bruce Levenson and Hawks general manager Danny Ferry virtually guarantees the team will not win a championship this year. More importantly, nobody wants to watch an NBA Finals featuring the Hawks.

12673: Coke Multicultural Billboard.

If Coca-Cola wants to run a Mad Men billboard in Harlem, here’s a targeted version.

12672: Have A Coke And Exclusivity.

Coca-Cola responded to its appearance in the final episode of AMC series Mad Men by presenting the Times Square billboard depicted above. Nice. Coke goes from celebrating diversity with “Hilltop” to saluting exclusivity with Mad Men. Shirley and Dawn don’t deserve a bottle?

12671: White Women At Work.

Campaign published another fluff piece on gender equality in the advertising industry—which really means increased opportunities for White women. Wacl President and Maxus Worldwide Chief Executive Lindsay Pattison blathered on about the imperative for White women to work together, as well as partner with White men, to create greater White exclusivity. White Right on, girlfriend!

Why women should work together to reach the top

By Lindsay Pattison

As Wacl’s annual training event Gather kicks off, president Lindsay Pattison explains how women should work together to help more women reach the top.

It is a universally acknowledged truth that women are excellent team players and collaborators. In corporate life, this often leads women into very senior roles in HR, account services and other vital support functions.

Those same traits can also make for really effective leadership – especially when combined with assertiveness, charm and emotional intelligence – yet, when it comes to leadership roles across almost all industries, the numbers change dramatically.

Media and advertising are definitely ahead of the curve. We should be proud that, while only five women run a FTSE 100 company, 25 per cent of senior management roles across our own industry are held by women – but given we start out as 50/50 gender split, we clearly have a long way to go.

There are plenty of reasons why there aren’t more women in leadership roles – unbalanced recruitment at senior level, the persistence of old boys’ networks, inflexible working policies which make life logistically challenging for working mothers and deeply ingrained stereotypes for starters.

What can we do? Lots. And Gather (Wacl’s annual training and networking event), sets out to help in a few vital ways. An important way to challenge these norms is for the small but significant number of women in super senior roles to help other women up the ladder.

It’s critical that we have real visibility as role models, so “walking the talk” by being on stage and sharing our stories, and encouraging others to take that step out in front.

And then empowering and educating other women, by creating mentor programs and other forms of training.

Since joining this industry as a grad trainee, I have received support from countless inspirational women. In return, I try to encourage other young women starting out in their careers to fulfil their potential. It also happens to be fun, rewarding and makes great business sense.

For Gather 2015 our theme is Together. In an industry that rewards personal achievements and targets, we want to recognise the power of the collective over individual self-reliance.

Our goal is to help young women starting out in our industry to appreciate their context and to recognise and voice what they are very good at – something that women have a tendency to struggle with.

Being desperately ambitious isn’t a bad thing, and we need to encourage young women to stop apologising for it.

Real-life stories that relate how other women have carved a successful path are crucial to inspire those just setting out on theirs. I am personally very excited to hear our keynote Miriam González Durántez give her take on Togetherness.

We will also be hearing from rugby World Cup winner Maggie Alphonsi who led her team to achieve something amazing in a male-dominated world.

This year’s Gather also sees us undertake a huge (and logistically challenging) speed mentoring session, offering each delegate the option for ten “power” minutes with some of the industry’s most powerful and influential women.

And what about the men? Well, a critical angle of our Together theme is about engaging constructively with the whole industry and so we’re delighted two proudly male feminists, Steve Hatch and Tom Knox, will join our final panel debate on men and women working together for positive change.

So today, alongside Tracey de Groose and Frances Ralston-Good as our brilliant and formidable co-chairs, I’m looking forward to hearing wisdom and stories from the most inspiring women in our industry.

I’ll also have the privilege of meeting our leaders of tomorrow as we switch up the leadership narrative, together.

Lindsay Pattison is president of Wacl and worldwide chief executive at Maxus.

12670: Everything Is Possible? Not.

Adweek reported Univision is launching a new branding campaign titled, “Todo Es Posible”—which translates to “Everything Is Possible.” The line does not apply to Latinos being adequately represented in the advertising industry.

Univision Tells Its Audience That ‘Everything Is Possible’

‘Todo Es Posible’ campaign includes inspiring stories

By Chris Ariens

Univision will launch a new uplifting branding campaign today called “Todo Es Posible” (everything is possible).

The new campaign, which Univision teased at its upfront presentation last week, is a multiplatform initiative the network says will “bring to life the core values of the Univision Network brand and the journeys of Hispanics in the U.S.”

“Our viewers not only tune in to watch our programming, but they invite us into their homes, their families and their lives,” said Jessica Rodriguez, chief marketing officer at Univision Communications.

The multiyear campaign begins with seven spots showcasing inspiring stories. They will be accompanied by a dedicated website and social storytelling across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Viewers will also be able to join the conversation by using the hashtag #TodoPosible.

“This campaign touches on the powerful brand affinity Hispanics have for Univision Network and reflects the core values that make up not only our network but the audience and communities we serve,” Rodriguez said.

Univision is the leading Spanish-language broadcaster in the U.S. and, on some nights, the most-watched network in any language on broadcast TV.

12669: Mad Men Fades To White.

The online recap of the final episode of AMC series Mad Men—Person to Person—featured no persons of color. Ironically, the show ended with the classic Coca-Cola “Hilltop” commercial from 1971, which celebrated diversity. Mad Men ultimately and accurately reflected today’s advertising industry by singing about inclusiveness, yet doing absolutely nothing to realize the vision. Have a Coke and a smile—while making a tax-deductible donation to ADCOLOR®.

12668: Multicultural Talent Surging…?

Adweek published a piece titled, “Multicultural Talent Is Surging on TV and Winning Mainstream Audiences.” Wonder how long it will take before the trade journal can present a report titled, “Multicultural Talent Is Surging on Madison Avenue and Winning Mainstream Accounts.” Probably not for another 66 years at least.

12667: Lee Daniels Unplugged.

Adweek interviewed Empire Builder Lee Daniels.

12666: Fluent In Bullshit.

Fluent should get a report—on stereotypes.

12665: Johnsonville The Wurst.

MultiCultClassics previously posted about the Johnsonville account review, noting that the incumbent White advertising agency deserved to lose the business. When the bratwurst maker chose to go with Droga5, MultiCultClassics pointed out the cultural cluelessness of the new White agency. Sure enough, a fresh commercial presents stereotypical depictions of Italian-Americans that are sure to offend the Sons of Italy and others.